Financing voucher fight
Utahn Byrne going toe to toe with teachers unions
"I don't know if this would even be a fair fight" in Utah "if it were not for (Byrne's cash) put into this game," said state Rep. Greg Hughes, R-Draper, a founder of one pro-voucher group, called the Informed Voter Project, created by the Utah Legislature's GOP leadership.
Between the Parents For Choice in Education political issue committee, run by pro-voucher advocates, and Hughes' IVP, Byrne (along with his family and a foundation he helps to direct) has donated more than $3 million to the pro-voucher movement, new financial reports show.
That matches the $3 million or so that the National Education Association, a national teachers union, has put into its anti-voucher campaign here. The NEA gave money to the Utah Education Association, the state's largest teacher union, which in turn gave money to Utahns For Public Schools, the main PIC that funded the main anti-voucher campaign.
Contributions to groups on both sides total nearly $8 million, pre-election reports show. But more money than that will undoubtedly be spent before Election Day, as last-minute ad and voter-contact campaigns rush to a close.
Some politicos estimate that perhaps only 250,000 Utahns will vote statewide on the voucher issue, listed as Referendum No. 1 on Tuesday's ballot. And so Hughes' last-minute effort could have some effect on the race, he believes.
This is a municipal election year. Referendum No. 1 is the only statewide issue, although a number of towns and cities have local races and a few counties have countywide ballot questions as well. Still, for many Utahns, Referendum No. 1 will be the only issue on their ballots.
The new reports show that Byrne, president and chairman of the board of Overstock.com, a Web-based retail buying operation, has donated, along with his family, $2.9 million to PCE. That donation is 78 percent of the PIC's overall contributions.
Byrne is the only contributor to the Informed Voter Project at $200,000. That PIC was started by the GOP leaders of the Utah House and Senate who voted for and advocated HB148 in the 2007 Legislature. That was the main voucher bill signed into law by Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.
Recent comments
My apololgies. I meant 10+ not 20+. The first and second grade classes...
A Utah Teacher/Devil | Nov. 5, 2007 at 7:46 p.m.
...But voucher supporters say at least Byrne is actually from Utah...
A Utah Teacher/Devil | Nov. 5, 2007 at 7:43 p.m.
Now that we vote tomorrow, I wonder if anything will have been learned...
Tomorrow | Nov. 5, 2007 at 6:24 p.m.
